Thursday, July 21, 2011

The traditional seven intense days of mourning (“shiva”) for our beloved Leiby are complete, but the ache in our hearts will remain forever.

We thank G‑d for the nearly nine beautiful years that He entrusted us with Leiby’s pure soul. We are certain that Leiby is now looking down from heaven and blessing us all.

We would like to once again thank all our friends and neighbors; all the selfless volunteers from near and far; local, city, state, and federal agencies; and all our fellow New Yorkers and beyond who assisted us physically, emotionally, and spiritually—as well as all of G‑d’s children around the world who held our dear Leiby in their thoughts and prayers.

We pray that none of you should ever have to live through what we did. But if any tragedy is to ever befall any of you, G‑d forbid, you should be blessed with a community and public as supportive as ours. We feel that through Leiby we’ve become family wi th you all.

Many of you have asked us what you can do now in Leiby’s memory, and how you can help us find comfort. Looking back at Leiby’s all-too-short years among us, here are a few ideas:

Acts of Unity and Loving Kindness
Let us perpetuate the feeling of collective responsibility and love expressed during the search for Leiby. An additional act of kindness toward your neighbor, or to those less fortunate than you, can go a long, long way toward perfecting our world. Putting a couple of coins into a charity box daily is one way of tangibly expressing that lovingkindness.

Gratitude
Leiby deeply cherished his siddur, his prayerbook, and praying to G‑d meant the world to him. He was known by his teachers for his concentration in prayer, always being the last to finish. In Leiby’s memory, when you wake up each morning take a few moments to pray and reflect and thank G‑d for giving us life (“Modeh Ani” in the prayerbook).

Light
Every Friday evening our family sits down together for Shabbat dinner to the light of the Shabbat candles. A candle shines for each of our children—and Leiby’s candle will always be included. On Friday evening, please give a few coins to charity and light the candles before sunset with our beloved Leiby in mind.

Memorial Fund
Together with Rabbi Binyamin Eisenberger, we have established a memorial fund to help people in dire need (www.leibykletzkymemorialfund.com), to channel the lovingkindness shown to us and our dear Leiby toward many, many others in need. We welcome your participation.

From the deepest place in our hearts, we thank you all for your help, your support and your prayers. May Leiby’s soul live on as a blessing inside each and every one of you.

Chabad in Tenafly, NJ is looking to hire dynamic, experienced, and energetic Hebrew School teachers. Great pay and great working environment! If you are interested, please email your resume with at least 2 references to bassi@chabadlubavitch.org.

Three co-sponsors are needed in order for there to be a Kiddush-Farbrengen this Shabbos, Parshas Matos, at Tzemach Tzedek. If you are interested, please contact Reb Avraham Hayman at avrahamhayman@gmail.com.

The sweltering weather forecast, the expected heavy air conditioning use and its resulting unusually high electricity demand, have prompted Orange &Rockland Utilities es to declare a summer heat alert for today, Friday and Saturday.

The sizzling weather through the end of the week is expected to push the load on the O&R electric system past 1,500 megawatts each day placing O&R on heat alert.

O&R's all-time electric demand record is 1,617 megawatts which was set on August 2, 2006.

The advisory means that field crews are focusing primarily on emergency work, with scheduled work being performed as system conditions permit.

The advisory also means that O&R engineers and system operators closely monitor the loads on distribution circuits, transformer banks and other key system components to detect any heat-related issues early so that any concerns are addressed quickly.

Spot checks will be made of potentially high-load circuits and transformers will be pre-loaded on trucks at O&R operations centers to expedite their placement in the field if needed. O&R will also institute load reduction measures at its own facilities.

O&R also urges the public to take steps to most efficiently use electricity, including turning down or turning off air conditioning in empty homes while you are away or at work.

When using your room air conditioner, close doors to keep the cool air in and the hot air out. If you have central air conditioning, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms.

With today's very high temperatures and humidity comes a very high demand for electricity. To help prevent power problems, customers are asked to use that electricity wisely. Here are some tips that will help you weather the heat during these steamy days.

* Set the thermostat of your central air conditioner at 78 degrees F or higher to achieve maximum savings on your cooling costs. Setting the room temperature on the air conditioner at 75 degrees costs about 15 percent more. A 72-degree setting costs about 30 percent more than the 78-degree setting.

* Install a timer or clock thermostat on your air conditioner so you can program it to operate and shut-off at pre-determined hours so you won't be running the air conditioning all day in an empty house.

* If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block off the vents for un-used rooms.

* Plan cooking, baking or other household activities that produce heat and humidity for the cooler times of the day and night.

* Use a portable or ceiling fan to circulate the pre-cooled air in your air-conditioned home. A fan uses about 90 percent less energy than an air conditioner.

* In very humid weather, adjust your air conditioner's fan to a low setting. It'll take longer for the air conditioner to cool your home, but your unit will bring in steamy air at a slower rate and make you feel more comfortable.

* As the sun moves from east to west during the day, pull your curtains and shades on windows to block out the heat.

The refrigerator is one of the largest energy-using appliances in the typical home:

* Maintain a constant temperature in the refrigerator of between 36 and 38 degrees for maximum effectiveness. The freezer should be kept at 15 degrees.

* Cover liquid items. They give off humidity that forces the refrigerator to use more energy.

* Place the most used items in one place so that the door will be open for a shorter period of time.

If you experience problems with your electric service, please call O&R at 1-877-434-4100. For more energy tips, please visit www.oru.com.